After treating their wounds and giving them reassurance, Juli sent the kids out of the forest. As for Eli, he stayed to watch over the labyrinth’s entrance, afraid that it would disappear if his eyes took off for a second.

There was another thing that bothered him.

If this event happened here, then it should have also happened in the original game story. So how come the labyrinth was only discovered years later? Wouldn’t the kids have told everyone about it? Or did something happen to them?

This must have been the butterfly effect at work. It reminded Eli how fickle the future could be. His sudden appearance in Florentine might have set off even more small events elsewhere, ones he would never notice until they hit him.

Before long, Juli arrived at the site, sweating profusely as she tried to catch her breath.

"So? What do you want to do about this?"

Eli touched dirt, fingers running through blades of grass.

"We run it, of course."

"What!?"

Juli marched toward Eli and grabbed the back of his coat.

"Hell no! Look at you smiling. What’re you smiling for, huh? You think this is funny?"

Eli covered his mouth, trying his best not to laugh.

"N-No... Not at all."

"We’re not going in until you get treated. You look like a ragged mop!"

Eli straightened up and gestured toward the crack.

"Juli, we can’t leave. What if it closes? What if it disappears? We might never find it again."

Juli let go of his coat and planted herself between him and the crack, arms spread wide like a human barricade.

"Then it disappears! Your body is more important than some hole in the ground!"

"It’s not just a hole. It’s the labyrinth, filled with treasures!"

She poked him in the chest, again, this time even harder.

"I don’t care if it’s the Holy Grail! It could be the past kings’ treasure room for all I care!"

Eli swatted her hand away and took a step back, wincing.

"I’m fine."

"You just made a face!"

"That was just a stretch!"

"You were standing still!"

He looked away, jaw clenched. She was right. Eli knew how terrible a shape he was in, but he didn’t want to risk the entrance disappearing. Even if it was only an assumption, he wanted to climb down and at least see what was inside.

His eyes drifted back toward the crack.

Juli let out a long, exasperated sigh and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"...You’re going to go in no matter what I say, right?"

Eli didn’t say anything. That was an answer in and of itself.

Juli threw her hands up.

"FINE! But—"

She held up a finger, and a grin crept across her face.

’...Why do I feel uneasy?’

"We’re waiting for one more person."

Eli’s brow furrowed.

"...What person?"

As if on cue, footsteps crunched through the underbrush behind them. A middle-aged woman emerged from the dense bushes, a leather satchel slung over one shoulder. Her face was serene, and every movement radiated elegance and modesty.

Eli blinked.

"...Who is that?"

Juli crossed her arms and smiled.

"That’s Sister Gamora. She’s a healer from the town chapel."

His mouth fell open.

"When did you—"

"When I walked the kids back."

Juli tapped her temple with one finger.

"I told one of them to run ahead and fetch a healer from the chapel!"

Eli stared at Juli, then at the healer, then back at Juli.

’This demon planned the whole thing!’

"You’re unbelievable."

Juli grabbed his shoulders and forced him to sit on the nearest rock.

"And you’re predictable! Your stubbornness is just... Ugh! Just shut up and let her work!"

Sister Gamora set her satchel on a flat rock and knelt beside Eli without a word. She pressed two fingers against his ribs, and a faint warmth spread from her touch.

’Healing magic...’

"Three cracked ribs. Severe bruising along the hip and thigh. Minor lacerations."

She glanced at Juli.

"What did she fight?"

Juli held up all ten fingers.

"Ten Mossbacks!"

Sister Gamora’s hands paused on Eli’s ribs. She looked down at him, then back at Juli.

"...In one day?"

Juli nodded.

The healer studied Eli’s face for a long moment. Then she returned to her work, speechless.

The warmth seeped deeper into his bones. The throbbing in his ribs dulled, then faded entirely. The swelling in his hip shrank under her palm, and the constant ache in his thigh loosened like a knot being untied.

’Healing magic is incredible! No wonder healers are this valued.’

Within ten minutes, the worst of his injuries had been mended. His muscles were still sore, but the sharp, stabbing pain was gone.

Gamora closed her satchel and stood.

"You need at least a full day of rest. No strenuous activity, unless you want to spend the whole night in the infirmary with me."

Eli was already on his feet, rolling his shoulders.

"Thank you, Sister. I appreciate it."

She watched him test his footing and sighed.

"You were right about this girl," she said to Juli.

Juli threw an arm around Eli’s shoulder and squeezed.

"See? Even a professional agrees with me!"

He shrugged him off.

"I’m docking your pay."

Juli released him at once and flailed her arms.

"W-WHAT!? You can’t do that! Only our treasurer can do that!"

"I have the biggest influence in the House behind Lady Irene."

Sister Gamora’s lips curved into a small, patient smile as she watched the two of them bicker.

"I’ll be taking my leave. You can always find me in the chapel."

"Take care, Sister," Juli said, bowing.

She gave one final bow and disappeared back into the forest.

Juli watched her go, then turned to Eli.

He was already standing at the edge of the crack, peering down into the darkness.

"...You’re going in right now."

"Not changing my mind."

She walked up beside him and looked down. The mossy stone steps descended at a steep angle, vanishing into black after the first twenty or so.

Juli sucked in a breath through her teeth.

"Can’t see a damn thing down there."

Eli turned to her.

"That’s why we go down and look. Get some treasures for the House as well."

"Crazy woman!"

Eli smiled and took the first step down.